


Working Themselves Out

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Insecure Lance (Voltron), M/M, Pining Keith (Voltron), Season/Series 03, Shiro (Voltron) Has a Clone, Subverted Langst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 14:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11831070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Keith watches while Lotor offers Lance a deal he can't refuse. Klance angst.... sort of. Happy ending!





	Working Themselves Out

**Author's Note:**

> I actually don't usually write Klance but I loved this idea so much I had to write it! And wrote it in like, half an hour. Oops.

The sword through his shoulder was buried so deep into the metal behind him that Keith couldn’t make it budge, and his bayard – _Shiro’s bayard,_ screamed the storm in his head that was only getting wilder and wilder with each day – was out of reach. So all he could do was watch helplessly, feet scrabbling against the ship floor, as Lotor strode carelessly past him and towards Lance.

There was blood dripping down Lance’s face, past his eyebrow and clotting in his eyelashes. “So you’re the royal fuck who’s been screwing with us,” he commented.

“Prince Lotor, at your service.” Lotor gave him a mocking bow. “And you are?”

“Blue – er, Red Paladin.”

“Really? Blue or Red? Which _is_ it?” Lotor purred. Keith cursed underneath his breath. If he could just – but the black bayard wasn’t even _close_ to his grasping fingers. _Leave him alone,_ he wanted to scream, but his voice wouldn’t cooperate.

“None of your business, is what.” Lance lifted his blaster to Lotor’s face, exhaustion written on his features. But his eyes were bold and bright. “We’re here for Shiro.”

“Your leader is safe on your Castle ship –“

“Do you ever stop talking out of your ass?” Lance interrupted. “We _know_ who that is. We’re here for Shiro.”

“We? You and –“ Lotor glanced over his shoulder at Keith, and scoffed. “Oh, yes. Your, uh, half-breed leader. He drew the short stick on the genetics, didn’t he?”

“Fuck off,” Keith managed to spit – but his blood ran cold as Lance _laughed._

“Aren’t _you_ just as much of a mutt, Lotor?”

“That’s _Prince_ Lotor to you.”

“Uh huh.”

Lotor got down on one knee. Keith’s stomach roiled, but he couldn’t make himself look away. His helmet – but no. It was cloven in two, sparks hissing from the communicator. No bayard. No helmet.

He kept working at the sword, ignoring how the blade bit into his fingers, ignoring how much Lance was hurting _him -_

“I’ve been hearing some funny things from that castle of yours.”

“Oh, have you now? Through your, uh, spy?”

Lotor shrugged, refusing to confirm one way or another. “I hear there’s no room for _six_ paladins. That Altean princess of yours is an excellent pilot. She’s your Blue Paladin, isn’t she? I’ve faced off against her.”

Keith watched, waited – and tried to swallow the taste of bile as Lance’s blaster wavered, then lowered. Just slightly. But enough. “What about it?”

“I’ll give you back your Black Paladin. Everything will go back to normal, except… you’ll be one paladin too many.”

_He’d been listening in._

Keith made a solemn pact with himself that the minute he got back to the Castle, he’d throw that imposter out of the nearest airlock. Allura claimed he was just as much of a victim of the Galra as the rest of them, but –

“I know what Alteans are like. They don’t appreciate a man of your talents. And I’ve been tracking Voltron all over the galaxy. Luxia’s planet needed a man like you.”

Keith closed his eyes, trying to breathe. All the things he _should_ have said, when Lance had come to him. ‘Leave the math to Pidge.’ What kind of bullshit answer had that been? Shiro would have had the right answer. Shiro would never have let this happen –

“Let me guess,” Lance drawled. “You’re offering me a job.”

“We’ve built a ship that is Voltron’s equal. All we need is a pilot. Somebody who’s flown more than one lion with the speed and skill you’ve shown. Somebody with the cunning and the courage to lead.”

Every word Lotor spoke broke Keith’s heart a little more – because he couldn’t imagine Lance saying _no._ Hell, it was a good deal. And after all of Keith’s fighting to make them recognize that not all Galra were bad – that working with Galra could be a good thing –

Lance chewed on the inside of his cheek. “And you’ll give Shiro back to the others. Unharmed?”

“He’s quite alright. A little disoriented, perhaps, but that’s all.”

“Why haven’t you killed him?”

“A clone like the one we sent requires the original alive. That’s how I can guarantee his safety.” Lotor reached forward, taking Lance’s bayard in his hands. Lance didn’t resist as Lotor took it from him.

“I’ll do it,” Lance replied with a glimmer in his eyes.

“Good man.” Lotor offered his hand. Lance took it, getting to his feet –

“ – Lance, _please!_ ” Keith burst out. His sight was starting to blur, and he realized with a shock that he was crying. “Don’t – don’t _do_ this –“

Lance gave him a bored look. “…Okay, one more deal.”

“What’s that?”

“Can I shoot him?”

Lotor lifted his eyebrow, then laughed. “That’s right. He’s the one who made you feel so worthless, isn’t he?”

Lance nodded, scowl growing. “You caught that bit, ey? Number one pilot. Shiro’s right hand man. And the Black Lion chose _him._ ”

Lotor shook his head with a chuckle. “I’d hate to deprive you of a little bit of revenge. Consider it a worthwhile beginning. And I’m quite happy to behead Voltron early on.” He handed Lance’s bayard back to him, and Lance aimed it at Keith.

"What was it you said, Keith? Things will work themselves out?"

Keith swallowed, staring up at Lance, and in his mind’s eyes all he could see was Shiro walking away from him – Shiro vanishing from the Black Lion – the people he loved, leaving him over and over again – and now it was happening again, in the worst way possible. “Lance,” he pleaded again, hands falling down by his sides. He couldn’t think of what else to say.

Then, so quickly, Keith thought he had imagined it – Lance winked at him.

“Go ahead,” Lotor purred.

Lance turned on his head and shot Lotor in the stomach. The blast sent the prince flying down the corridor, his scream of rage and agony echoing until he fell to the floor in silence.

“You know,” Lance commented, “for somebody as much of a snake as he is, he’s _really_ fucking stupid.”

Keith stared up at him in horror. Then – much to his own embarrassment – he began to sob.

“Whoa!” Lance fell to his knees, pulling the sword out of Keith’s shoulder, then letting Keith fall into his arms. “Hey, hey, you don’t need to cry, you _know_ I’d never do that –“

“I _hate you!_ ”

“C’mon, Keith, I’m not that much of a dick – oop, you’re hitting me, do I – do I keep hugging you? You’re kind of bleeding all over me –“

“You manipulative, double-crossing, deceptive, clever son of a _bitch!_ ”

“Hey, don’t talk about my mami like that.”

Keith buried his face in Lance’s shoulder. “I thought you were going to leave me,” he murmured. He didn’t care how it sounded. Not now.

Lance didn’t seem to mind, either. “Never. Not in a thousand years.” Then he snorted. “Did you see the jackass’s face?” He pulled Keith to his feet, levering his arm over Lance’s shoulders. “Come on. We know Shiro’s alive, now. We just need to find him.”

Keith couldn’t stop feeling dizzy. One thing kept echoing around and around in his head. “The – the Black Lion,” he mumbled.

“What about her?”

“She – should have chosen you. I’m a terrible leader. She should have chosen you.”

Lance shook his head. “I’m your right hand man, dude. Don’t put me in charge.” He paused. “I’m definitely holding it over your head that you admitted that, though.”

“Fuck off.”

“First you want me to stay, now you want me to fuck off…”

Keith didn’t have the energy for anything else but another wry smile. He leant into Lance. _Never. I’m never leaving you._

Yeah. He could live with that.


End file.
